12.18.2011

We are leaving for Seattle, WA on Tuesday morning to spend time with our family for Christmas. So we opened our Christmas presents early. We both had a blast recognizing our blessings and being thankful for thinking of each other. Christ has blessed us in so many ways and we have been trying so hard to return the blessing for others this year. It has been so fulfilling.

I wanted to honor my hubby this year by doing something special. So I went the creative route. I thought, what would be the most meaningful gift he would truly enjoy. That's when I thought of Becky from Farmgirl Paints. She has the most beautiful artwork and such a creative imagination she has been blessed with. I thought it would be such an honor to have one of her paintings up on our walls for future generations to see. Now my honey isn't a big fan of paintings, but I had a feeling he would love this one. I was so right! I gave Becky my blog URL and a little background on how we met, found here. She did such an amazing job on our story and depicting it. We love it. Her paintings are young, fun and whimsical....just perfect for our future kids room. I plan on decorating our future kids rooms around it and passing it down to them.

Becky these next series of photos are for you. I will get you a photo of us together with it soon.

Yes my husband wears his call of duty pajama bottoms around his neck. He received them in his stocking...
Thank you Becky for such a treasured and wonderful gift. We really do appreciate it. We both love it very much. Photos of us with it and it's location will come soon.
Merry Christmas everyone.

12.12.2011

This week at I heart Faces, the photo challenge is furry friends.
Needless to say, this was a tough decision for me to choose just ONE photo!
We love our doggy so much, we take a bunch of photos of him all the time.
Here is my entry, enjoy.

12.05.2011

The hub's and I headed up to Mount Charleston yesterday for a day of playing in the snow. I've mentioned before, heading up to the mountain here reminds both of us a bit of home. Needless to say, we had a blast, it was COLD and beautiful and so wonderful. Hope you enjoy our pictures as much as we enjoyed the experience.

We posed for pictures.

Hiked to the top of hills.

Threw snowballs.

Almost lost the dog in the snow.

Enjoyed the beauty till our cheeks tingled.

Didn't take it for granted.

And we left VERY satisfied.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

12.04.2011

For our Christmas this year we get to enjoy it up in Seattle, WA with my side of the family (insert squeal here). It will be our first Christmas spent together, with family. Needless to say, it's very important to both of us.

Nothing is more important to either of us than family and we have made this season special for us even down in the desert. Our home is decorated to the max and we are enjoying this season together more than ever.

Home for the Holidays means so much more when your life revolves around the military. It means... your loved one is home safe, it means... you might spend time with family from the hometown you grew up in, it means... not having a constant reminder about where he/she could be....

It means....Home, for the Holidays.

O little town of Bethlehem...

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by

Yet in they dark streets shineth, the everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight...

Even with my loved one home safe there is always a glimmer of worry which passes through my mind this time of year. The thought creeps up into my daily life and reminds me to hold onto this precious moment dearly.

My loved one set his feet on the rough Afghan terrain on Christmas Day the first year of our marriage. To remember this fact and remind myself how lucky I am this 2011 Christmas, is just a simple gift from Christ this year. In fact, it is the most precious and comforting gift I have ever been given. Last Christmas was spent with myself at home and him working a 12.5 hour shift in the ER. He was safe last year to, I pray he will be always safe for years to come.

Angels we have heard on high...Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

When the lights fade away and the decorations are boxed up once more, I will make sure to remember how special and glorious a gift I was given this year.

But until the moment when I think back to what was, I will look forward to what is. Christmas is approaching quickly and we have all thought about what we are thankful for this past Thanksgiving, but don't let the thanks fade away, remember to keep giving thanks. It's immeasurable what God gives us, even when life is hard.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

11.29.2011

As most of you know I got a fun camera for my birthday. I have been messing around with it quite a bit to try and get to know it a bit better. I had my first family photo opportunity last week for my pastor's family. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun and a great learning opportunity for me.
Here are a few of my favorites.

11.11.2011

Hi to all my friends. I have been miss you all lately. Decided to take a spur of the moment break this past month. My hubby has left for training on the east coast for three weeks and I really needed to spend some time with him before he left. I also took a fun trip up to Seattle this past weekend and had a blast! Short little trips always recharge my batteries just the way I need them to.

But unfortunately this isn't a post to talk about what's been going on lately. Well it kind of is, but it's more about my cute little etsy shop I have. Have you checked it out yet? You should. It's pretty cute, I promise.

I recently started a little blog about my shop at HERE. If you haven't started following it yet, you definitely should. Exciting things to come very soon there! My good friend Becky is having her 200th post give away at her blog My Life in Four Bags. If you haven't checked out the giveaway it's pretty awesome. Seriously I am eyeballing a few things currently. But more importantly in honor of her milestone post Becky is giving away an accessory made by me! Check it out here. Make sure you follow all the rules in order to be entered in that giveaway.

Since finding out about my long list of allergies, life has gotten a little more difficult in the food area. I've noticed I can pretty much have ANYTHING unhealthy, but healthy options are A LOT harder to find. Here is my list again to jog your memory:

Oats

Rye

Lentils

Lima Beans

Beets

Radishes

Avocados (I. Die.)

Spinach (So very heartbroken)

Oranges (bye bye juice)

Olives (Olive oil is OK, olive tapenade is not.)

Did you know there is 'Oat Fiber' is in most white breads? Yeah, buying bread has become interesting. Before I would buy completely whole wheat bread or like my husband puts it, extra healthy. Well those are caput now. I think I am going to resort to making my own bread, since buying bread has become so much harder now. When I go home to visit in November I will be getting bread lessons from a family friend. Yippee! Needless to say, I have had some 'accidental' ingestion of foods. We went to a wedding and I accidentally had avocados, that wasn't pretty. I have eaten oats in a quesadilla I had last week, worst reaction I've had yet! My eyes got really red and I had the worst sharp pains in my stomach soon after.

A lot of prayer and patience is helping me so far. This is a lifestyle change and a learning process. It's not easy, but it's ok, because it's worth it. I am determined to living a healthy life and balanced life. With a little more effort though. Food allergies are HARD. There is no doubt in my mind, hubby is learning to deal with it to. Looking at more ingredient lists, making sure to let me know if that product is OK for me. Patience is what gets us through, I've thrown my hands up a few times already and wanted to quit, but that's not why I got tested in the first place.